Meet Jane Smith Patterson

For more than 40 years, Jane Smith Patterson has been paving the way for women in North Carolina politics and digital technology. After her start as a young organizer and activist in her hometown in Columbus County, North Carolina, Patterson left home for college when she was 16 years old.

She eventually became one of the first female chairs of a county Democratic party in North Carolina. She took on major digital technology projects around the state as a cabinet member for Governor Jim Hunt. Now she promotes high-speed internet in rural areas. Host Frank Stasio talks with Patterson about her life and work.